Presse

Les critiques sont très très bonnes:

MICHAEL BILLINGTON du THE GUARDIAN: "Billy Elliot succeeds brilliantly because Elton John's music and, especially, Peter Darling's choreography enhance Lee Hall's cinematic concept."
BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE du THE TIMES: "Tougher, bolder and, as my tear-ducts can attest, more moving than its admittedly admirable celluloid precursor. ...If there is a disappointment, it is Elton John’s music, which begins promisingly, with a church-like paean to cameraderie, but never seems either tuneful or original."
CHARLES SPENCER du THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: "Billy Elliot strikes me as the greatest British musical I have ever seen."
ALASTAIR MACAULAY du THE FINANCIAL TIMES: "Elton John's music is too often formulaic but about half of this show achieves dramatic poetry of a kind rare in any kind of theatre."
PAUL TAYLOR du THE INDEPENDENT: "Funny, touching and shamelessly enjoyable staging."

Commentaire

The musical was based on the 2000 film of the same name. The original film was partly inspired by A.J. Cronin’s 19 novel “The Stars Look Down”. The musical earned excellent notices - "the greatest British musical I have ever seen" (Daily Telegraph), "a theatrical masterpiece" (Daily Mail) and won four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical awarded jointly to all three boys who played Billy. The Broadway production opened in November 2008, earning totally rave reviews, winning ten Tony Awards, and recovering its entire $18 million investment in 14 months. (The New York production closed on January 8th, 2012 following 40 previews and 1,304 performances.)

Barnes & Noble
Elton John is no stranger to theatrical productions -- make that hit theatrical productions. Aida and The Lion King established the pop phenomenon as a bona fide Broadway-bound composer, comfortable with the established conventions of writing for the stage. Billy Elliot finds John extending his winning streak with a score that abounds with his customary melodicism, tinged with drama and wit. Adapted from the 2000 family-favorite film of the same name, Billy Elliott provides John and lyricist Lee Hall with a wide canvas, corresponding to the plot’s blend of musical hall razzle-dazzle with the pathos arising from a miners' strike and Billy’s difficult home life. Whether it's the stirring miners’ anthems "The Stars Look Down" and “Once We Were Kings," the rousing “Shine,” “Electricity,” and "Expressing Yourself,” the slashing “Angry Dance,” or the heart-tugging ballad "The Letter," John gets to flaunt his range as well as his sheer enthusiasm for theatrical songcraft. The songs not only work within the show’s context but are also memorable enough to stand independently on a cast album. And speaking of casts: The score is further elevated by such striking talents as Liam Mower in the title role and Hadyn Gwynne as Billy's tough but tender dance teacher. It adds up to another winner of a show from John, a golden-touch composer for all seasons. [Parents should note that the song "Solidarity" has explicit lyrics inappropriate for children.] William Pearl

All Music Guide

The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong. Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands. A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks. Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School. As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written. But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's. Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album. But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death. This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

Barnes & Noble
Elton John is no stranger to theatrical productions -- make that hit theatrical productions. Aida and The Lion King established the pop phenomenon as a bona fide Broadway-bound composer, comfortable with the established conventions of writing for the stage. Billy Elliot finds John extending his winning streak with a score that abounds with his customary melodicism, tinged with drama and wit. Adapted from the 2000 family-favorite film of the same name, Billy Elliott provides John and lyricist Lee Hall with a wide canvas, corresponding to the plot’s blend of musical hall razzle-dazzle with the pathos arising from a miners' strike and Billy’s difficult home life. Whether it's the stirring miners’ anthems "The Stars Look Down" and “Once We Were Kings," the rousing “Shine,” “Electricity,” and "Expressing Yourself,” the slashing “Angry Dance,” or the heart-tugging ballad "The Letter," John gets to flaunt his range as well as his sheer enthusiasm for theatrical songcraft. The songs not only work within the show’s context but are also memorable enough to stand independently on a cast album. And speaking of casts: The score is further elevated by such striking talents as Liam Mower in the title role and Hadyn Gwynne as Billy's tough but tender dance teacher. It adds up to another winner of a show from John, a golden-touch composer for all seasons. [Parents should note that the song "Solidarity" has explicit lyrics inappropriate for children.] William Pearl

All Music Guide
The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong. Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands. A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks. Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School. As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written. But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's. Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album. But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death. This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

Particularités

Historique du musical

Inspiration

based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot

Génèse du musical

Original London production)
The musical was planned to premiere at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. This was abandoned due to the financial problems of the Tyne Theatre's operator and the production's growing budget.
The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, opening in previews on 31 March 2005 and officially on 11 May 2005; it is still running today, with the booking date recently being extended to 15 December 2012. It reportedly cost £5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million). The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated in the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson and Tim Healy as Billy's father. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, and the costumes were by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting was by Rick Fisher, and sound by Paul Arditti. The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006.
The musical received favourable reviews: the Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "the greatest British musical I have ever seen", and The Daily Mail thought it "a theatrical masterpiece".
Billy Elliot the Musical won four Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Sound design and Best Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award as well as the Critcs Circle Award and the Theatregoers Choice Award, all for Best Musical.[6] On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Sir Elton John.

Billy Youth Theatre
Billy Youth Theatre is a countrywide scheme as part of which participating schools and youth groups will be given the opportunity to stage their own production of this internationally award-winning show. Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, together with Martin Koch (Musical Supervision and Orchestrations), have adapted their original script and orchestrations to produce a shortened version of the show exclusively for groups staging local productions as part of Billy Youth Theatre.

Original Australian production
The musical opened at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007, directed by Daldry in association with Julian Webber, and choreographed by Darling.[8] Rhys Kosakowski, Lochlan Denholm, Rarmian Newton, and Nick Twiney alternated in the title role. The production earned good notices, and in January 2008 it won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards.[9] The show also won seven Helpmann Awards, including the awards for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Actress (Genevieve Lemon as Mrs. Wilkinson) and Best Actor, awarded jointly to the four boys who played Billy Elliot.[10] The production concluded in Sydney on 9 November 2008 with all eight Sydney Billys in the finale.
The Sydney production transferred to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, opening on 13 December 2008. The Melbourne production closed on 14 June 2009 after a successful run.

Original Broadway production
The Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on 13 November 2008. The London production's creative team directed and designed the Broadway production. The title role was rotated among three young actors, David Álvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik, the last of whom had played the role in London. The supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne, reprising her role of Mrs. Wilkinson from the London production, and Gregory Jbara as Billy's father. The production received rave reviews: Time called it a "triumph"; critic Liz Smith termed it "breathtakingly brilliant" and "absolutely, unequivocally awesome"; the Daily News said it was "so exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping"; the New York Post said it was "almost like being in love" and termed it "amusing, perfect and passionate" and "the best show you will ever see"; and the Los Angeles Times called it a "global theatrical phenomenon". It has also been very financially successful, with $20 million taken in advance ticket sales.[15] The production received fifteen Tony Award nominations, tying with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a Broadway show,[18] and winning ten. The original three boys in the lead role jointly won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. The production recouped its original investment of $18 million in 14 months and, as of 2010, continues to sell strongly. On 3 October 2011, it was announced that the Broadway Production will close on 8 January 2012 following 40 previews and 1,304 regular performances.

Billy Elliot (2014-11-Circustheater-Scheveningen)

Principaux CD du musical

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